The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Santiago City, Isabela is imposing a mandatory daily minute of prayer that literally stops people in their tracks to comply.
City Ordinance 9THCC-044, implemented on Aug. 1, requires everyone to pause whatever they are doing at 6:00 p.m. to pray silently or verbally according to their own faith.
Even those driving vehicles must halt for one minute when the signal siren sounds. The only people exempted from this regulation are those driving emergency vehicles—ambulances and fire trucks.
The ordinance was authored by Sangguniang Panlungsod member Paul de Jesus, chairman of the Committee on Public Ethics, as a measure to strengthen the faith of local residents, regardless of religious affiliation.
The regulation has the approval and endorsement of Santiago City Mayor Joseph Tan, Vice Mayor Alvin Abaya, and 11 other councilors.
The local government admits that the ordinance was not properly disseminated, causing a division of opinion among residents. Some claim that it merely revives an old practice of the city, perhaps a reference to the Roman Catholic observance of praying The Angelus at dusk. Others say it violates the principle of separation of church and state, and indeed this was my first reaction upon hearing about this ordinance.
Article II, Section 6, of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states that “The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.” “Inviolable” means “never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored.” “Church” means religion, religious bodies; State means the government, whether national or local. What is rendered inviolable or “unbreakable” by this law is the separation between the two, meaning the two must always be kept apart.
This is elementary but I have to explain it this way because it seems many politicians do not comprehend this simple and clear nine-word provision.
Moreover, Art. III, Sec. 5 provides that “The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed.”
In relation to the Constitution, why is this ordinance a bad idea? Because it broke that separation between church and state by making a regulation that mandates an act of worship. Worship should be exercised freely and enjoyed; what freedom or joy is there in forcing people to comply with an arbitrary rule?
Yes, it is arbitrary, because the ordinance reflects random choice or personal whim, rather than reason or a system. Why only one minute, while you’re at it? Why pray only once and not five times a day like the Muslims?
The measure also disregards the rights of those who are not religious. Why should they be forced to pray? In that sense, the ordinance is draconian, harshly imposing a desired behavior and curtailing personal freedom.
The ordinance is also absurd because it is impractical. Stopping your vehicle’s momentum abruptly when you’re driving at a fast clip? Walking, shopping, all activities to be suspended in mid-gesture, mid-sentence? Shall a surgeon suddenly halt in the middle of a delicate operation? A woman while giving birth? Everyone would have an eye on the clock a few minutes before six at night, waiting for that siren blast—now that’s an inconvenient distraction that could lead to mishaps along the way.
It seems that this sloppily-written and -executed ordinance might have been drawn up to satisfy some self-imposed target of the city’s ethics committee to come up with key results, some sort of accomplishment, anything. So they resurrected a custom that has its context and purpose in a time and culture long past.
The tradition of sunset prayer may be a part of Filipino culture, but it is not a tradition of all Filipinos, and culture changes, it does not remain static, it is constantly made and remade and influenced by time, people, technology, and a host of other factors. A sensitive and mindful leadership takes into account the welfare of all its constituents, not just some.
On the bright side, the ordinance has no penalty clause, and may thus be said to be “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. FB: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, IG: @jensdecember, @artuoste